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Of the three big companies mining at Karangahake, the Talisman were the last to install a battery.
|
1895 |
Late February. Talisman battery erection underway (10 stamps). [1] November. Talisman battery completed, but not working.[2] |
|
1896 |
Talisman. A self-acting aerial tramway and hoppers has been erected, connecting the No. 4 level with the battery, a distance of fully 3000 feet. A substantial iron water-race has been erected to bring in the water. A contract has been let to cut and deliver 2000 tons of firewood to dry the ore. [3] September. Talisman Company to erect Howe Truss bridge across the Waitawheta River, to connect battery with Special site. [4] October. The Talisman put in one kiln, add 10 head stamps[5] November. Electric lighting for all three batteries. [6] Windows tunnel created. [7] November. Talisman Company to erect at Karangahake mine an additional 10 stampers [as above] of the latest design, being double mortar discharging. In addition to this six cyanide vats are to be constructed. Mr Lloyd is also to erect a revolving ore driver [dryer]. This will bring the crushing power at this mine up to 20 head, and as the new stampers will be 1080lb weight each, a large quantity of ore should be put through.[8] From April to September, 1896, 285 tons of quartz was crushed[9] |
|
1897 |
March. Talisman using old kiln as an ore hopper (or paddock). [10] April. A 4-inch diameter [4 foot?] pipe line has been put in from the Talisman dam, and also two Victor turbines, capable of developing 120 horse-power effective. There will be also an electric light installation. A revolving air dryer is being substituted for the kilns; this is now ready for running, and will mean considerable economy, and probably a better extraction. [11] 16 June. Talisman new 20 stamper underway, Howe Truss bridge connects to special site (vat house). Ore drier in use, instead of the in-ground kiln. [12] |
|
1898 |
January. Trial of Krupp ball mill. [13] November. Talisman battery install 80 horse-power engine and boiler. [14] The milling machinery consists of two stone-breakers, twenty head of stamps, one Krupp ball-mill, six berdans, and fourteen vats (of 18 ft. and 22 ft. diameter), and also a revolving drying-furnace, with a capacity of 40 tons a day… and the ore is delivered at a small cost, being conveyed in buckets down a wire-tramway direct from the mine to the mill. [15] |
|
1899 |
January. The Talisman Company propose to take over of the Talisman Extended Gold Mining Company's property, which consists of a special claim and battery site [16] April. Aerial cableway breaks [17] December. The proposed amalgamation with the Talisman Extended, Royal Mail, and Victor-Waihou is regarded with favour here, as it would not only add another area full of promise to the present acreage, but would also provide an additional battery site. [18] |
|
1900 |
April. New Zealand Talisman Gold Mining Company amalgamate with Talisman Consolidated Company (Royal Mail, the Crown Extended, the Victor, and Waihou [19]). [20] May. Talisman to erect new battery (along side present mill [21]). [22] August. Talisman No. 8 level to be driven, about 200 ft below the No. 7. It will be the main outlet for the mine, as all the ore from the upper workings will be concentrated there, and sent on to the battery, one length of aerial tramline being sufficient to land the ore at the battery. [23] |
|
1901 |
February. Crushing operations in the old mill were stopped on February 16… a final clean-up of the plant was completed on March 18. [24] July 31. New battery underway, 50 stamps, crushing wet. [25] December. "The bullion returns since the commencement of crushing operations at the new mill have been very disappointing so far".[26] |
|
1902 |
May. the Talisman has temporarily suspended milling, pending erection of electrically powered air compressor at the mine. [27] October. Mill will resume crushing operations on the 20th of the present month…past six months, during which time the mill has been closed down… underground haulage to No. 8 level will be resorted to and a large hoisting plant is now being erected in that working, and an incline shaft proceeded with. [28] |
|
1904 |
June. Talisman buy Woodstock for £7000. [29] |
|
1906 |
New air compressor ordered for old Woodstock battery. [30] [31] |
|
1907 |
Additional installations are being made to the power and treatment plant. [32] |
|
1908 |
August. Lower levels of mine flooded. [33] October. The new power plant will be in readiness to commence operations in a month from now. [34] November. The installation of the new air-compressor plant at the Talisman mine is now completed. [35] This may be at the powerhouse. AJHR. A Riedler compressor with a capacity of 3,100 cub. ft. of free air per minute has been erected during the year, also four Babcock and Wilcox boilers and a 100-kilowatt generator, to supply power to the mine. [36] This at the powerhouse. |
|
1909 |
AJHR. At the battery a new 500-horse power Fraser and Chalmers' compound engine has been erected. A new surface condensing plant for main engine and auxiliaries has also been installed. Additional boilers will be installed at the power plant during the next year. The following additions have been made to the treatment plant: Complete new assay office with latest appliances; new smelting-room, with tilting, oxidising, and bullion furnaces; slag reduction plant and prospecting stamps: new slimes, Spitzkasten’s; eight new pneumatic slime-agitators, each 30 ft. by 8 ft.; one new slime-dewateriser; three tube mills, each 4 ft. by 12 ft., on the Abbe roller principle; also five classifiers and two sand-elevators. [37] |
|
1910 |
April. Flood damages old Woodstock battery. [38] August. At the reduction works, three new tube mills and eight pneumatic slimes agitators have been installed, and further additions have been contemplated.[39] 15 September. Fire destroys Woodstock battery building. Included three air compressors and two steam engines. The new air compressor is situated in the other part of the plant (powerhouse), and by means of this the water in the mine was being kept down to-day. [40] |
|
1911 |
3 February. Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers' Conference. The mining delegates left Waihi this morning by special train, stopping at Karangahake to inspect the Crown and Talisman mines.[41] Jarman presents his paper on the Talisman Company operations.[42] Three tube mills, two vacuum filter-vats, and two B. and M. agitating-tanks have been installed and employed. A new Ingersoll-Sergeant [or Rand] air-compressor, with a capacity of 3,700 cubic feet of free air per minute, will be installed early in 1911[at the Powerhouse]. [43] |
|
1919 |
Talisman. As the ore reserves had become exhausted, milling operations were suspended last [this October] October, and will not be again commenced unless the development work undertaken by the company justifies resumption.[44] |
|
1920 |
16 December. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of development work carried on up to the present the directors of the Talisman Consolidated, Limited, have decided, with a view to curtailing expenses under these circumstances, that the mine shall be closed down as soon as the material in the underground workings can be withdrawn.[45] |
|
1926 |
8 January. The Talisman Dam. Demolition by Dynamite. Water Released Safely. After functioning for nearly twenty years the Talisman dam, situated in the Karangahake Gorge across the Ohinemuri River, was freed by Mr E. Shaw, Ohinemuri county engineer, and his staff on Wednesday… Much valuable timber will be taken from the dam when it drains sufficiently. This has been purchased by the county council, and will be useful for bridge repair work.[46] |
|
1937 |
7 June. Talisman Dubbo Gold Mines Ltd. Start on erecting their own mill at old Talisman powerhouse site.[47] |